INEOS Team UK | Tactical Aid App

There are many factors that determine who wins and who loses a sailboat race. The ones that are obvious to the casual spectator are speed and manoeuvrability, along with efficiently managing the interactions with other competitors. These are the same kinds of elements that win motorsport races.

There is another layer of factors determining the outcome in sailboat racing though – often visible only to the aficionado – and they come from the complexities that motor racing does not have to contend with:

• Instead of a reliable, driver-controlled power supply (an engine), the boat’s power source – the wind – varies unpredictably in both speed and direction and relative to both time and position on the racecourse.
• Instead of a tarmac or gravel track with a clear, optimal ‘racing line’ there is no fixed route around the course, just markers that must be rounded on a particular side, and an optimal route between them that will vary with the wind, current and sea state.

The variability of the power source and the lack of constraint on the boat’s course lead to a multitude of questions. Where’s the best wind? How do I get to it? How much confidence do I have in the wind not changing before I get to it? Do I stick with my competitors or back my judgement on a shift in wind direction or speed?

The answers to these questions play a big part in winning races and finding the right answer is largely the job of the tactician. The most experienced of these are extremely good at assessing many of the relevant factors; judging the speed of the boat by movement relative to the competition, or judging the wind strength and direction by the effect it has on other boats, on the water, and on trees, smoke or flags on the land.

These judgments are synthesised, and a decision reached – based on experience – on the best tactics. And for much of the long and illustrious history of the Cup – and in smaller boats even today – this was the only way to do it.

The advent of satnav and its integration into a multi-sensor instrument system via powerful onboard computers has been a real game-changer though. The data can now be fed to a screen on the deck and software developed to help assess the tactical options.

The App acted as a virtual seventh crew member and became central to the decision making process during the race, giving the sailors the competitive advantage.